Wine

Choosing menu, wine pairings for James Beard dinner in New York

by Mark Tarbell - Oct. 20, 2010 04:00 PMSpecial for The Republic

I have been invited to do a dinner at the James Beard House in New York on Nov. 18. It's my sixth time there, and still a tremendous honor. It's also a complicated challenge: picking a team to take, coordinating travel plans, finding a chef friend in the city to order local goods, arranging to ship what I need from my home turf.

I must provide all the wines and ensure they're delivered on the right day. Visiting chefs can get into the kitchen only on the day of the event, so a host kitchen must be arranged and all the prep and staging for this multicourse meal for 80 people must be done there and then transported to the Beard House. The event itself is a donation to the Beard Foundation, so not only is it tricky, it's expensive. In this economy, it's daunting.

But the hardest part is that I never know what I want to cook. And that means I don't know what wines I'll want to pair with the food. When we pushed the deadline for menu submittal to the very last, I had to imagine an autumn in New York for inspiration.

First course: Scallops with cilantro, lime and Tuerca de Maiz.

Pairing: 2009 Pazo de Señorans Albariño Rias Baixas, Spain.

The flavors of fresh diver scallops are sweet, cilantro has an earthy, herbal bite, limes give a shock of tart, and the crunchy Tuerca de Maiz (large, crispy corn kernels) give texture and a savory base to the dish. The wine must lie underneath, supporting the dish without distracting from it. I choose Albariño (a white grape from Spain). When well-made, Albariños have a delightful crispness, and when made in a lower-alcohol style, they are a perfect foil for a Mexican/Peruvian-inspired dish.

Root vegetables are always a challenge; the average ones are large and bitter in taste profile. I'm going to collect as many locally grown, sweet baby roots as I can find. I will individually slow-roast them, season them differently and then blend them together. A light German Riesling is the best choice with any dish that is slightly bitter or earthy. This wine will wash away all the edges, leaving pure flavor.

A white Burgundy from France is one of my all-time favorite combinations with a perfectly roasted chicken. This dinner will mark the first time that I veer away from Burgundy with my pairing. The decision was made easier by the availability of this Chardonnay. It has some of the famed power of a Napa Chard but with a depth and elegance more often found in top Burgundies.

Our staff visited Crow's Dairy in Buckeye last month and was very impressed. The goats are treated like friends and family. We loved the texture and taste of the creamy goat curd from Crow's. Pairing the great Arizona Stronghold Vineyards' rosé with this was easy; that it's local is just lucky. The soft, mild red-fruit structure mutes the tartness in the goats' milk. The result is "Aaaah."

Fifth course: Tomato tarte tatin.

Pairing: Four Peaks "Kiltlifter" Scottish ale, Tempe.

I'm not a dessert lover, so I've been playing on this twist of a classic with friends and family for years. It's a very robust, intensely flavored fall dish. The boldness of flavors screams out for bubbles. There's a rosé here and there that would do the trick, but since the kicker of the dish is the caramelization of the tomatoes, I chose a Scottish ale that's not too heavy, not too sweet, not too rich and not too alcoholic. The richness it does have balances the caramelization perfectly; what's left are the pure flavors of both. Dark beers are the other red wine!

On the night of the dinner we'll release all the recipes for you to try. Sign up at tarbells.com.

Reach Tarbell, owner of four restaurants in Phoenix and Denver, at wine@tarbells.com.